The need to strengthen our research universities comes at a moment when, according to a National Academies report, the U.S. “no longer has a monopoly on the top science.” Other nations are aggressively investing to challenge America’s lead in all aspects of research and development. China has massively ramped up research and development funding and now produces science at an unprecedented rate and scale, aiming to dominate sectors like AI, biotech, hypersonics and energy storage. China now nearly equals the U.S. in total research and development expenditures, and its whole-of-nation innovation push means America must run faster, not slower, in supporting science if we are to stay in the race.
The traditional contributions of universities — advancing knowledge through research and patents — remain fundamental to America’s economic and national security dynamism. These activities ensure a pipeline of talent and the diffusion of ideas, demonstrated by the fact that only the top 25 U.S. research universities contribute a very large portion of all U.S. university patents and train more first-time inventors than any other sector. However, as annual investment in university research and development climbs past the $100 billion mark, relying solely on these established mechanisms is no longer enough.
Full story: Universities must become active launchpads for innovation
